Programs Focused on Diversifying Medical Pipeline

Lawsuit: University of Dayton Covered Up Football Team Hazing Claims

by Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio — A new lawsuit claims the University of Dayton covered up allegations of hazing connected to the school’s football team by ensuring that a UD police investigation never reached local officials. Max Engelhart, a former UD student and offensive lineman, filed the lawsuit against the western Ohio school, its football coach and others […]

Woman Guilty of Embezzling $200,000 from Education Nonprofit

by Associated Press

EUGENE, Ore. — A Eugene woman has pleaded guilty to embezzling over $200,000 from a nonprofit that promotes career and technical education programs for Oregon high school and community college students. The Register-Guard reports 74-year-old Thelma Clemons pleaded guilty to wire fraud Wednesday related to her attempt to cover up thefts that she carried out […]

Report: Housing, Food Insecurities on Rise for Community College Students

Audit Questions Luna Community College Hiring, Pay

by Associated Press

LAS VEGAS, N.M. ― A recently completed special audit of a Las Vegas, New Mexico, community college is questioning the schools hiring practices. The Las Vegas Optic reports that according to the report there were multiple instances of family members of the Luna Community College president and board members receiving jobs, promotions and substantial pay […]

Ex-Wichita State University Worker Files Discrimination Suit

by Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. ― A former Wichita State University administrative assistant filed a federal lawsuit accusing the university of discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Vicki Huntoon said in the lawsuit that she was fired from the university because of her generalized anxiety disorder after two doctors diagnosed the disorder and she requested to work […]

University of Illinois Strengthening Ties with Mexico

by Associated Press

URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois is strengthening its ties with Mexico through new academic and research partnerships. The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports university President Tim Killeen signed agreements during a trip to Mexico last week. He says they are part of the university’s efforts to diversify international student enrollment and increase its global impact. […]

University of Akron Calling for Buyouts, Recruitment Boost

by Associated Press

AKRON, Ohio —The University of Akron plans to offer voluntary buyouts to employees, increase recruiting efforts of international students and restructure its scholarship system to address a looming deficit and declining enrollment. University of Akron President Matt Wilson outlined a two-year plan last week to shore up the school’s finances. The university hopes to finalize […]

Lawsuit: University of Dayton Covered Up Football Team Hazing Claims

by Associated Press

DAYTON, Ohio — A new lawsuit claims the University of Dayton covered up allegations of hazing connected to the school’s football team by ensuring that a UD police investigation never reached local officials. Max Engelhart, a former UD student and offensive lineman, filed the lawsuit against the western Ohio school, its football coach and others […]

Saint Augustine’s University, Bennett College on Probation

by Reginald Stuart

Two of the nation’s oldest historically Black colleges were placed on probation Tuesday by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), signaling the two North Carolina institutions continue to battle financial challenges.

Protests Bring Out Angry Millennials in Chicago

Arkansas School of Law Dean Ever Mindful of Native American Heritage, Mentoring

by Christina Sturdivant

When Stacy Leeds accepted the position of dean at the University of Arkansas School of Law, she made history. Since 2011, she’s served as the only known Native American woman to lead a law school in the country.

Guiyou Huang Named LSU-Alexandria Chancellor

by Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana State University-Alexandria has a new chancellor. LSU President F. King Alexander announced in a news release Tuesday Guiyou Huang will take over the chancellor’s post on Jan. 1. Huang is currently the senior vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty and professor of English at Norwich University, in […]

Protests Bring Out Angry Millennials in Chicago

Virginia Tech President Wants to Double Minority Enrollments

by Associated Press

BLACKSBURG, Va. ― Virginia Tech President Timothy Sands is calling on the university to double its enrollment of underrepresented minority groups over the next six years. The Roanoke Times reports that currently, about 12 percent of Tech’s students are Black, Hispanic or of Pacific Islander descent. Sands said during a board of visitors meeting Monday […]

Oregonian Analysis: State College Enrollment Diversifies

by Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — The number of Latino and multiracial students attending Oregon’s public universities has more than doubled in the past seven years, according to an analysis of enrollment records by a Portland newspaper. The state’s public universities collectively saw enrollment rise 5 percent from 2010 to 2016, largely because of an influx of minority […]

University of Illinois Strengthening Ties with Mexico

by Associated Press

URBANA, Ill. — The University of Illinois is strengthening its ties with Mexico through new academic and research partnerships. The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports university President Tim Killeen signed agreements during a trip to Mexico last week. He says they are part of the university’s efforts to diversify international student enrollment and increase its global impact. […]

Diverse Conversations: What Professor Esolen Gets Right About Diversity

by Matthew Lynch

History professor Anthony Esolen recently came under fire when he penned an article for Crisis magazine that questioned the push for diversity at his workplace: Catholic institution Providence College.

Texas Program ‘Guarantees’ Technical Jobs After Graduation

Regents Name Richard Myers New Kansas State President

by John Hanna, Associated Press

MANHATTAN, Kan. — The Kansas Board of Regents on Tuesday made Richard Myers, a retired four-star general and former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, president at Kansas State University, promoting him after he served as interim president since April. The regents voted unanimously to promote Myers to president of the land-grant university in Manhattan, which […]

A female professor who was passed over as chair of the School of Mass Communication can pursue a retaliation claim against North Carolina Central University but not claims for sex discrimination or a hostile work environment.

New Report Finds Economic Growth is Dependent on Educating Minority Students

The key to America’s future economic success relies heavily on closing the educational gap between traditionally disadvantaged, minority students and thriving White students, according to The Alliance for Excellent Education’s new report, released on Monday. With the U.S demographic swiftly shifting into a nation largely made up of citizens of color, the need to educate and prepare minority students has become extremely apparent in order to rebuild a strong, competitive economy.

Since 1990, the amount of minority students in majority White states made up a mere 29 percent. As of 2010, that amount has increased to well over 40 percent. Yet, even with the influx of minority students within public school classrooms, graduation rates and benchmarks of college readiness still remain lower for students of color in comparison to their White peers.

The Alliance report revealed findings where 31 percent of White citizens, aged 25 or older, graduated with a bachelor’s degree while only 20 percent of Blacks and 14 percent of Hispanics in the correlating age range held a college degree. Interestingly, the glaring gap between educational achievements resonated over to the unemployment gap among these differing ethnic groups. In March 2012, the unemployment rate for Blacks was 14 percent, 10.3 percent for Hispanics, and only 7.3 percent for their White counterparts. Alliance indicates these disparities as concerning, considering the stark reality, which doesn’t allow for minorities to participate fully in the nation’s society and economy.

“The country’s strategy must shift to eliminating achievement gaps that hold students of color back from achieving their full potential as wage earners,” Alliance President Bob Wise commented in response to this unfortunate circumstance.

Wise illustrated the tremendous potential of a mounting economy that could emanate from investing into a growing number of educated students. In a study conducted based on the class of 2011, research reveals that, if 90 percent of the class of 2011 were adequately prepared and graduated high school, 750,000 additional graduates would have been able to contribute to the workforce. Of those additional graduates, more than $9 billion would arise in their annual earnings and 470,000 new jobs would be created for that emerging, competent cohort of workers.

Not only has the educational gap had a distinct effect on employment rates and job creation, but also low-achieving students of color have also been poor consumers and, thus, have contributed less to the economy. Since our economy, coined as the information age, shows strong parallels between education levels and salary rates, it becomes no surprise that citizens without a college or even a high school degree have salary caps that are drastically lower than a college graduates’. As a result, those minorities with lower salaries found it difficult to participate in the economy after accommodating their basic needs.

For example, the average earnings for high school graduates peaked at about $28,000 while the average earnings for those holding a bachelor’s degree is approximately $52,000. Intrinsically, supporting a family with groceries, clothing and shelter on a salary less than $30,000 undoubtedly presents far more adversity for those individuals supporting a family with more than $50,000 of income.

Bob Jones, president and founder of Education & Workforce Policy, identified this economic crisis among minorities as the consequence of a lacking educational system that is not congruent with the standards of the workforce. According to Jones, the educational system would be most effective if it were structured in the context of a performance-based system under the expectations that all students should leave as “college-ready” and, ultimately, “work-ready.”

Many of the concerns echoed by Jones and members of the Alliance mirrored the inescapable conclusions mentioned in the ACT report released in August, which recognized the staggering benchmark scores of college and workforce readiness, especially among students of color. Although for Jones, the state of education becomes far more complex than the obtrusive educational gaps among minorities. Instead, the idea that education among all low-performing students, not just those among certain racial or socio-economic groups, weighs more upon the nation’s attempt to refurbish economic growth.

“This is not about racial gaps; this is about one hundred percent achievement for all students. That’s our imperative,” Jones noted.

Rufina Hernandez, executive director of the Campaign for High School Equity, argued that the steep minority growth among our population demands serious attention to the students of color who are changing the demographic landscape of the nation. While the U.S. population growth is only 1 percent, the rising growth of Hispanic, Asian and Black communities has reiterated the need to invest in the racial groups.

“Where we are not educating those students (minorities), we are losing out on that human potential, so we are concerned that, although the White population growth may not be as large, we’re going to see huge numbers going on with those demographics,” Hernandez remarked.

For U.S. policymakers, the thin line between equity in regards to education and economic growth, which is apparent in Alliance’s report, will become an inextricable relationship in considering an approach toward tackling the nation’s economic crisis.